What to do if one or several computers have full C: drives (or more space used than you would expect)? This may interfere with updates or installing programs or printers; but even if not reaching that point, unexplained loss of free space can be an issue.
DIAGNOSTIC OPTIONS
If the school is participating in the INSTR-migration (INSTR-integration) program from ITS [LINK THESE TO TECHWIKI PAGES], there is a very good chance the excessive disk usage is because of Offline Files settings. Another sign of this is if there is a Synchronization window that comes up at user login or more often logout and forces a pause. If this seems to be the case, you may want to jump directly into using the Offline Files deletion and settings [link to anchor below].
Otherwise, you can use a diskspace-scanning tool or general poking-around to try and find areas with untoward space consumption. In either case you will still be using your knowledge of typical Windows file layouts and particular "usual suspects" to check. But with the utilities, after you allow it a (shorter or longer) time to perform a scan, you can sort various ways and explore levels of subfolder at will, while with a strictly manual operation you will be
WinDirStat [link to download from CUIP Cache] [describe graphics]
JDisk [from open software site] [recco from CPS techco board]
list of "usual suspects" and comments --
In C:\WINDOWS with show-hidden-files and show-protected-system-files both showing, and using "Details" file display: There may be bunches of files with names resembling "$NtUninstallKB867282$" or "$NtServicePackUninstall$" or "$NtUninstallKB959772_WM11$" and so on. (These are compressed files and so may be listed in blue type if you have that setting on.) These are archives of the files which were replaced when Windows update (or the CPS-managed equivalent) installed a patch or even a Service Pack. They are not current versions, and are not loaded or used by the OS as currently configured. These are kept around so that those files could be restored if you elect to roll back an update. In general, those rollbacks can only be done in order (that's reverse chronological order), and you would probably not be rolling back beyond fairly recent updates. Thus, there is nothing to lose in deleting the oldest bunches of these archives.
C:\WINDOWS\CSC is where the local copies of Offline Files are kept (under obscured and catalogued names -- you won't find "MyProject.doc" here). If you find a lot of space being taken up by files in this area, before doing an outright deletion here, you probably should first try using the Offline Files settings tab and Delete button, described below.
CORRECTIVE STEPS
General case of excess disk usage
If you have identified specific areas with files that are unneeded (or unneeded where they are, on the crowded drive or partition), whether you determined this by looking around or by running one of the disk-scan programs, there are very obviously two sorts of things you can do with these files:
Delete them
Move them
(A hearty "Duh!" will be in order now.)
Which to do will depend on the nature of the files (user documents? old patches? programs and libraries?) and your confidence that removal will not harm the operation of the computer.
Deleting? A tip: Hold Shift while deleting to bypass the Recycle Bin
Moving? .
It's not out of the question to move applications from C:\ProgramFiles to D:\ProgramFiles (creating the latter). This is better tried with smaller, self-contained programs than with large suites that have many enduser entry points. With a smaller program, there may be loss of file associations to the program (which can be remedied by manually selecting the program once), but not drastic failures.
Besides moving to other permanent drives or partitions, certain materials may appropriately by moved to the school fileserver, or to a (personal or "official" jump drive).
Excess disk usage due to Offline Files
[ screen shots go here?? ]
To remove locally-stored offline files, and turn off the offline-files feature, here are the steps for an XP station:
Login as techco (or another account with admin permissions)
Open any file-browse window ("My computer")
In that window's menubar, navigate Tools menu --> "Folder options.." menu choice --> Offline Files tab
In the Offline Files window, FIRST click Delete Files.
Choose "Delete both the temporary offline versions and the versions that are always available offline".
OK
In the Offline Files window, uncheck "Enable Offline Files". Then OK.
If you disable offline files first, the Delete will no longer be available. If this has happened, or for other reasons you think there are still local temp copies of offline files taking up space, you can go directly to the storage area and delete. The file path for that is
C:\WINDOWS\CSC
which you may need to switch on "Show system protected files" to see.
LOW FREE SPACE, EXCESSIVE DISK STORAGE USED
What to do if one or several computers have full C: drives (or more space used than you would expect)? This may interfere with updates or installing programs or printers; but even if not reaching that point, unexplained loss of free space can be an issue.
DIAGNOSTIC OPTIONS
If the school is participating in the INSTR-migration (INSTR-integration) program from ITS [LINK THESE TO TECHWIKI PAGES], there is a very good chance the excessive disk usage is because of Offline Files settings. Another sign of this is if there is a Synchronization window that comes up at user login or more often logout and forces a pause. If this seems to be the case, you may want to jump directly into using the Offline Files deletion and settings [link to anchor below].Otherwise, you can use a diskspace-scanning tool or general poking-around to try and find areas with untoward space consumption. In either case you will still be using your knowledge of typical Windows file layouts and particular "usual suspects" to check. But with the utilities, after you allow it a (shorter or longer) time to perform a scan, you can sort various ways and explore levels of subfolder at will, while with a strictly manual operation you will be
list of the utilities and links to get
list of "usual suspects" and comments --
CORRECTIVE STEPS
General case of excess disk usage
If you have identified specific areas with files that are unneeded (or unneeded where they are, on the crowded drive or partition), whether you determined this by looking around or by running one of the disk-scan programs, there are very obviously two sorts of things you can do with these files:(A hearty "Duh!" will be in order now.)
Which to do will depend on the nature of the files (user documents? old patches? programs and libraries?) and your confidence that removal will not harm the operation of the computer.
Deleting? A tip: Hold Shift while deleting to bypass the Recycle Bin
Moving? .
Excess disk usage due to Offline Files
[ screen shots go here?? ]
To remove locally-stored offline files, and turn off the offline-files feature, here are the steps for an XP station:
If you disable offline files first, the Delete will no longer be available. If this has happened, or for other reasons you think there are still local temp copies of offline files taking up space, you can go directly to the storage area and delete. The file path for that is
which you may need to switch on "Show system protected files" to see.